I love libraries, books, bookshelves, and since i was a little girl i’ve always wanted one of those massive libraries with a rolling ladder to climb and slide around on… maybe that’s part of the inevitable draw i have to leaning bookshelves. Combine that with a sleek, slim, modular swedish design in stunning blacks and whites and you’ve got me. When i came across the Swedese Libri shelving unit at Tom Dixon’s The Dock. Favorite aspects, they are slim, yet wide enough to stack my favorite bigger design books every which way interspersed with objects, and simple enough to fill a wall with half a dozen units and still have it look beautiful… or even attach them to each other for non-wall-leaning freestanding units. It’s always bad news when you see, fall for, and already envision exactly how something would fit into your space. Take a peek at more pics of it in context, in real life at The Dock, and product shots ~ on the next page!

On adorable discoveries in London Design Week, Matt Pugh’s wooden owls are adorably irresistible! Available in oak or walnut and a variety of colors, they certainly demonstrate the power of simplicity done right. Definitely worth adding to the potential gift list, although the hardest part really is how to pick the perfect color… or group of colors? (They are quite nice in little flocks!) See a few more gorgeous wood pieces from Matt Pugh on the next page as well!

Sponsored Ads

I love bent plywood, and i love simple multipurpose pieces that are incredibly versatile… and when i spotted John Green’s Embrace shelf/table at Tent London out of the corner of my eye, i was smitten. And i wanted a few! Basically they are a pair of tables that can be interlocked to form a lovely floating shelf with room for magazines/etc to rest on the side. The first use case that popped into mind with this was - bedside table! And laptop resting in the shelf, such that when it got too hot on my lap in bed, i could grab the tray and flip it over my legs to lazily laptop in bed! With my current offi one i never know where to put it when not in use! It’s too shallow for a side table, to big to slide under the bed…. this would be perfect! And its so beautiful! No wonder why its been winning awards!

On exciting finds at London Design Week ~ my favorite discovery at Designersblock is definitely Masako Sugar and her Mushroom Hooks! I feel like i’ve been hunting for years for the perfect coat rack or hallway hooks ~ in fact i had a big post during my hunt back in 2007! Well i wish these had existed back then! Even though i’m not exactly sure where they will go when i get home, i couldn’t resist buying three of the red ones ~ made of silicon rubber, it is nice to your clothes, far softer aesthetically than many of the harsher powder coated steel options omnipresent these days, and they are all one of a kind mushrooms (slightly different in spots, etc) ~ not to mention they look absolutely adorable on the wall, and i love the packaging! Also brilliant is the simplicity of the metal mount, and you can simply slip the silicon shroom over… or perhaps someday she’ll expand the line to different hooks you can swap in? But for now. LOVE the mushroom hooks, take a peek at close ups on the next page!

The Bloomframe is a reality! Not that it wasn’t real before when i posted about it about 2.5 years ago, but now its in production!!! There is something so thrilling about watching these ideas grow and garner so much interest as concepts and make it into working production models! And don’t take my word for it… there’s even a VIDEO! See the video and more pics on the next page! If i had a second story, i’d definitely want one!

“The Bloomframe® balcony, designed by Hofman Dujardin Architects and developed and manufactured by Hurks geveltechniek, is the winner of the prestigious Wallpaper* Design Award 2009 in the category Most-life-enhancing-product.” Additionally it’s picked up - 1st prize Audi Design Award 2008, 1st prize Red Dot Design Award 2008 Germany, Nomination Index Design Award 2009 Denmark, Nomination Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2009, and Nomination MKB Innovation Top 100 2009. And there are various options/sizes/etc ~ take a peek at more pics (and the video!) on the next page!

Sponsored Ads

My pens got envious as soon as i opened the latest email from the folks at Merchant 4 ~ their new Place For Trace ~ pen/pencil and tracing paper roll holder… so pretty, so simple… it makes me want to drill holes along the edge of my desk to line up all my pens/markers/pencils… i suppose it would end up like a colorful picket fence of writing instruments (and maybe x-actos too?) around my laptop and such? Anyhow, take a peek at this new desk accessory on the next page!

On awesome 4th of July presents from afar ~ my sister just bought me and then installed to photograph ~ this awesome Beasties Lamp Shade from Habitat! (It’s waiting for me out in London, so the unbox will hold me over till i get there on my next trip!) If it looks familiar, i posted it as #22491… These Beasties are “Acid etched metal shade featuring animal-shaped silhouettes etched around the shade.” Take a peek at more shots of it, the cool shadows it makes, and the packaging on the next page!

I keep hearing about SciFi/Syfy’s Caprica recently ~ so got curious and checked out the DVD on directv tonight ~ and i love the designy details of this alternate reality. Particularly the tennis court!!! And the architecture of the main house, the bookshelves, and the computer sheets… take a peek at some screenshots on the next page!

p.s.
i must admit i haven’t really watched battlestar yet, but it has come up so many times in the last week alone, definitely need to do some catching up?

Sponsored Ads

A floor literally tiled with thousands of copper pennies… it’s pretty surprising to look down and see them when you walk into The Standard Grill in the Standard Hotel New York, below the Highline. The design was selected by the restaurant’s designers,
Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of New York-based design firm Roman
and Williams. See some more peeks of it on the next page!

If i had a pool, i’d love to have it surrounded by a few of these Inflatable Pool Lounger/Chairs by PAD Outdoor. Such a sleek simple idea ~ aluminum frame (see it exposed on the next page!) ~ and although its only a prototype, you can buy them over at Ford & Ching and they will even customize them in an array of colors…

The one thing that i couldn’t get out of my head after leaving Dwell On Design - Woolly Pocket Gardening Company, and they adorably cool recycled plastic felty living walls/vertical gardens and planter pockets! It’s a brilliant concept that really softens up a space, and such a fun subtle texture to add both indoors and out. These pockets are ready for planting, come in a variety of sizes… and can be both lined on the interior base (so they wont leak onto your walls/etc) or unlined for outdoor use. “Woolly Pockets are flexible, breathable, and modular gardening containers. They`come in two styles: those designed to be placed on horizontal surfaces, and those designed to be hung on walls for vertical gardening. You can use Woolly Pockets both indoors and out; they have built-in moisture barriers to help protect furniture, and they’re equally at home outside in the elements”

Also - how adorable is that logo and tag??? Their website + blog have adorable photography as well ~ but for some first hand looks at them, check out more pics on the next page of the various setups and colors all over the Dwell show ~ not only at their booth, but also found at the VIP section and throughout the Outdoor section. I have so many ideas for movable gardens in my patio as well as covering some walls now! See the pics…

p.s.
How perfect would the small table top ones be for fun succulent filled gifts???

So after doing the beach thing, i realized i really needed to sit down and do some work between all the running around i’ve been doing in NY! And i guess the Ace Hotel New York really must feel pretty homey, because i ended up calling up and booking a few nights there to nurse my sunburn and curl up with my laptop to catch up. Of course while here, as the soft opening evolves, i noticed even more awesome typographic details (i also didn’t have a chance to show you other rooms i poked around in last time as well!). In addition to what you saw of my room last time… here is a focus on the typographic details i’m obsessing on… instead of a smeg fridge i have one of the mini-fridges in a roadie case… and i LOVE the NOW/NOT NOW magnet (yes! the doors are magnetic!)… and this DESK is fabulous. I want one at home, so nice how it overlooks the bed too so i can still look out the window and work here all day long… so go see the pics on the next page already!

Latest in designer collabs for Target is Dror. While most of the new collection is more pillows, bedding, little stationery accessories ~ the one piece that really caught my eye are the Nesting/Stacking Bookcase/Shelves! I wonder if they could also be little stools as well? While i’m not sure that i love how they look stacked, i do love that they stack and nest! So multipurpose, and easy to move? Take a peek at some of the larger pics on the next page, and browse the full collection here.

The reusable bag trend is a bit out of control. They are pretty much the new t-shirt as far as things to put your graphics on. In concept, i love it ~ less plastic bags, less waste, but then a new problem has cropped up, i think i have an unhealthy amount of reusable bags and tote bags that i love too much to part with, but there is no way i can use that many at one time, even with piles in every house, car, bag, etc… What i HAVE needed lately are throw pillows though (i’m working on figuring out what to do with my empty room, so far stuck an ikea couch/bed and a big desk to play with in there)! And whether you want to call it a new way to reuse cotton tote bags, or recession chic, or multipurpose bag/pillow covers… once the random idea popped up i had to try it!

Tote Bags as Throw Pillows! I grabbed a few of my throw pillow inserts that were floating around and some of my favorite tote bags (it’s especially good for those bags you love that are a bit thin material-wise as good functional totes). They don’t look half bad, give me an excuse to SEE some of the graphics i love but tend to end up in a closet, and they are actually really comfy!

Now the part i haven’t tackled/resolved yet ~ do i alter the totes? Remove the handles? Or cut the handles and tie them to close the cushion covers? Or add zippers? Or just make custom perfectly sized cushions for them in a light fabric i dont mind having show? That way they can always be swapped back to being used as totes again? Truly multipurpose? Or do a slight stich across the tops to sew them in that can be easily removed when needed?

Take a peek at more pics on the next page… and i also got curious whether all those reusable shopping bags works nearly as well… so you can see a pic of that too…

First spotted at the Areaware booth at ICFF, then again at the Designboom Local show ~ how adorable are these nesting “Step Stools” tables by Paul Loebach? The design is so perfectly cute, and the color palette really makes it pop! … in a refreshingly green playful minimal sort of way. “Hard Maple, Birch Plywood - Inspired by the simple versatility of American Shaker furniture, these nesting stools pull out to make a set of steps.” See more images of it from both shows on the next page!